GrandadCollar (or Grandfather Collar)

Grandad Collar (aka Band Collar) is, simply put, a shirt collar without the fold up portion.

There is an interesting article herethat takes us through the history of how Grandad collar came about. The style of shirt was also worn by working-class men in northern England during the industrial era.

The 2010s decade has also seen the garment feature as a mainstream fashion item for men. Source: Wikipedia

Mandarin vs Grandad Collar

Many guys do not know the difference and from time to time can get confused with each other.

Here’s an article on Redditthat explains pretty well the difference between both. In essence, a Grandad Collar (also known as Band Collar) has a button on the collar itself while the Mandarin Collar doesn’t.

As such, a Mandarin Collar usually has a small gap in front. Mandarin collar shirts swing more towards the Chinese/ Asian look while a granddad towards England industrial age.

2 Ways to Rock The Grandad & Mandarin Collar Shirts

1) Layering

Grandad and Mandarin Collar, especially the ones in thin linen fabrics, goes really well with an inner piece. The layering look usually involves a slightly oversize granddad/ mandarin collar shirt with an inner tank top (singlet) or inner tee.

Best is to go with lightweight and thin fabrics especially for the humid weather in Singapore. Not only is it more breathable and cooling, light-weight and thin fabric also makes the overall look more comfortable and lean (as opposed to looking bulky and ‘thick’). Photo Credit: Burton

2) On Its Own

These versatile collar styles can also be worn by itself.

For Grandad Collar, we can choose to button all the way up or simply leave the top one opened. This is usually decided based on the weather, and overall look and feel we want to create.

Where to buy them?

Most brands in Singapore that sells menswear usually carry one or two granddad collar in their collection. Click here to see list of menswear brands in Singapore.

Few places to highlight are Zara, Topman, H&M and local label – Snort Label, which prides themselves as a brand that started with Mandarin and Grandad collar shirts. This local brand ensures at least 1 Grandad or Mandarin Collar design in every collection.

>> For online

ASOS.com also have a very extensive range of Grandad and Mandarin Collar shirts. What’s best is they also produce these shirts under their house brand (which means nice Grandad Collar shirts at very reasonable price).